Briefless Barrister

John Godfrey Saxe brings his legendary wit to bear on the legal profession in this skewering poem about a barrister who has no briefs, that is, no cases. The 'briefless barrister' becomes a figure of absurdist comedy, a man of the law whose docket is empty, whose courtroom stands forever dark, and whose legal wisdom goes entirely unneeded. Saxe, known for his elegant nonsense and sharp social commentary, constructs a mock-heroic portrait that mocks both the pretensions of the legal profession and the peculiar fate of the professional man rendered obsolete by circumstance. Written in crisp, assured verse that bounces along with comic momentum, the poem invites readers to chuckle at the paradox of a learned counselor whose expertise has no audience. It endures not because the legal profession has changed (it hasn't, really), but because the fear of irrelevance remains eternally human.